Check the readiness of a visa: methods of checking and tracking, how to track the status online, how to find out if it is ready from your passport, possibilities of obtaining

In order to legally visit any country, you must obtain a permit - a visa. You can get it by spending significant time collecting, translating, approving and submitting documents.

Then, all that remains is to wait for it to be ready, planning to order tickets or book a hotel. However, the duration of document verification may vary depending on the working calendar in force in the country, the number of applications requiring review and processing, the date of travel and the thoroughness of the check by the Embassy.

Nowadays, there are several options for checking a visa for readiness, both in person and remotely:

Visiting the visa center or diplomatic mission where the application was submitted.
The official website of the country or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Receive SMS about readiness.
Holidays and weekends. It should be taken into account that working days, weekends and holidays in our country and in Europe differ significantly. This may affect the timing of visa processing and receipt.
Other factors. If consular officers have questions, they may need to submit additional documents to clarify certain information. Accordingly, the applicant can receive a ready-made visa in 30, and in some cases in 60 days. Call the specified contact phone number at the Embassy.

Check and track status online

In order to have the right to legally enter the territory of a particular state, a special permit is required - a visa.

To obtain it, you need to spend considerable time collecting, translating, visaing and submitting documents during a visit to the embassy or consulate.

Then all that remains is to wait for the submitted papers to be reviewed in order to appear at the consulate at the appointed time to obtain the desired permit.

However, finding out whether a visa is ready can be extremely difficult. After all, the process of checking readiness may vary for different states, and in a number of situations, it is difficult to give any specific time frame.

What determines the review period?

Before exploring ways to determine the readiness of a document, it should be taken into account that the process of reviewing documents submitted by the applicant can continue indefinitely. The duration of the review depends on a number of factors that can either speed up the preparation of the required document or significantly slow it down. It is advisable to include among them:

The number of applications requiring appropriate consideration and execution at the moment.
Travel date.
The thoroughness of checks regarding the applicant by the embassy of a particular state.

Perhaps the most inappropriate time for completing documents is the summer and winter holidays and other long holidays. After all, at this time there is the most intense flow of people wishing to obtain a certificate for a vacation trip.

In addition, different countries have different approaches to the verification and processing of documents for persons wishing to enter their territory.
As a result, some countries allow entry clearance in 2-3 days, while others may require a much longer period. REFERENCE! EU countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic or Germany, do not limit the processing time in any way. Finnish migration policy provides for the possibility of expediting visas for short stays. Germany typically reviews documents within one to two weeks.

How to check?

If you want to check the readiness of your visa, the most preferable way to find out is to visit the embassy or consulate that is responsible for issuing such permits. Such a visit will require some effort and time, but will allow you to reliably find out about the readiness of the visa.

The disadvantages of this method include its irrationality, because if the document is not yet ready, the applicant has wasted time and effort. In addition, today there is no need for a personal visit to the embassy, since all questions of interest, including the readiness of a visa, can be resolved remotely.

The most common visa tracking option is by telephone. In order to find out about readiness, you will need to provide the data that was provided for the visa application. After a short wait, the operator will be able to give an approximate processing time or notify you that the visa is ready.

The capabilities of the Internet are difficult to overestimate, as it allows you to access the necessary information in a matter of seconds. Using specialized portals, you can easily check whether a visa is ready, which will save time and effort.

Today, this is the fastest and easiest way to find out about the readiness of a visa, because it does not require any effort from the applicant.

It is extremely important to prepare a specific list of information about the applicant, which will later be used to search his application in the database. It includes the applicant’s full name, as well as a special identification code that he received when submitting documents. A number of consulates use payment receipt numbers as a similar code, while others use international passport numbers.

If a third-party organization that organizes the trip or provides assistance in obtaining a visa is responsible for issuing the document, you will need to clarify this data with its representatives.

The algorithm for checking visa readiness on the website is as follows:

Log in using your personal details.
Specify the identifier in the search field (in the unified or consular database).
Click the “Search” button.

If you have any problems with the search, you can consult with embassy staff using the telephone number indicated on a special form. It is issued in cases where the consulate accepts documents for consideration.

What determines the review period?

Before exploring ways to determine the readiness of a document, it should be taken into account that the process of reviewing documents submitted by the applicant can continue indefinitely. The duration of consideration depends on a number of factors that can either speed up the preparation of the required document or significantly slow it down. It is advisable to include among them:

The number of applications requiring appropriate consideration and execution at the moment;
Date of travel;
The thoroughness of checks regarding the applicant by the embassy of a particular state.

Perhaps the most inappropriate time for completing documents is the summer and winter holidays and other long holidays. After all, at this time there is the most intense flow of people wishing to obtain a certificate for a vacation trip.

.
Finnish migration policy provides for the possibility of expediting visas for short stays
. Germany typically reviews documents within one to two weeks.

How to track Schengen?

A visa to the Schengen countries is a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with the history, culture and traditions of those European states that are part of it. Preparing documentation for registration may take some time, regardless of whether the tourist does this on his own or has turned to a travel agency for help.

When the procedure for submitting documents is completed, everyone has a question about how to check the readiness of the visa. Consulate or visa center employees usually talk about the expected date of issue of a passport with a ready exit permit.

How much is done?

It is advisable to start applying for a Schengen visa 3 months before your planned trip abroad. Typically, the processing time for a Schengen visa is 5-10 working days, but there are a number of factors that can increase it.

See also: An easy way to travel around Europe - applying for a Schengen visa

After the passport is issued

After receiving a passport with a visa stamp, you must immediately check on the spot whether it was issued correctly. Mistakes can lead to unpleasant consequences when crossing the border: a travel ban or a fine. If the applicant finds at least one, even minor, defect, he must immediately tell the employee who issued the passport about this, who will help resolve the issue or refer him to the appropriate specialist.

The following rules will help you read a Schengen visa correctly.

Photo. You must make sure that this is the applicant's photograph. Cases of pasting someone else's photo are rare, but they do happen.
Passport details. The visa may be invalid if there are errors in the holder's last name, first name or passport number. The information on the visa stamp must be the same as on the passport itself.
Territory of validity of the visa. It covers the entire Schengen area and can be provided by any consulate whose country is included in the Schengen area.
Visa type. Depending on the purpose of the trip, they are distinguished: A - this is a visa for free stay in the transit zone of the airport or travel through one of the countries in the zone to another; C – prolonged stay in the Schengen zone, but this period is limited to 90 days within 6 months; D – national visa for long-term stay, for example, for study.
Commencement of visa validity. This is usually the date of departure abroad.
Expiration of visa. Until this date, you can visit the Schengen countries and cross the border before 24 hours of the last day of validity of the visa.
Number of days spent. If the holder has a multiple visa, then he can stay in the country for 90 days within six months.
Frequency of entries. The following types of exits are distinguished: 01 - means that you can enter the Schengen country only once; 02 – you are allowed to visit countries only twice; MULT – unlimited number of entries.
Signature and seal of the consulate. Their presence is required, otherwise the visa is invalid.
VIS (Visa Information System) is a stamp for submitting biometric data and fingerprints.

How to check the authenticity of a visa, the above rules will help, compliance with which will allow the tourist to avoid mistakes and troubles that could overshadow the trip.

How do you know if she's ready?

I remember the time when I applied for a visa for the first time in my life. So many funny situations happened to me then. For example, I took my international passport and went to the passport office to get a visa.

Where did I get the idea that I needed to go there? Unclear! When the same passport office told me that I needed to go to the visa center for help, I went there with an application.

You ask: “Which one?” But I came up with the idea that I need to write a statement that I want to get a visa to such and such a country on such and such a line. Woman…

Still, I managed to apply for a visa with great grief, but I called the visa office the very next day, although the employee warned me about the deadlines during the consultation. When will your visa be ready?

Progress does not stand still and at the moment almost every visa center provides one. You are required to:

go to the visa center website;
log into your personal account;
enter the contract number or registration number;
find out the status.

It could be: “Sent to the embassy.” This means that the visa is not ready yet. Or - “Documents are ready for receipt.” If you see this status, go to the visa center and pick up your long-awaited visa. Don't forget to take your passport and contract. The status may also be: “Documents issued.” It will appear after you pick up the documents.

Can someone else take your visa? Yes, but this person must have a notarized power of attorney. But not all visa centers allow you to do this.

How do you know if your UK visa is ready?

By submitting your documents to the British Visa Centre, you can receive up-to-date information about the status of your UK visa yourself: recently, all you need is Internet access to perform the relevant checks. Using the Visa Center website and your own personal account created for each applicant, you have the opportunity to track all stages of the application, as well as timely find out about the readiness of a British visa. By reviewing our 2021 Document Tracking Guide below, you can check your UK visa status whenever it's convenient for you without any hassle.

UK Visa Tracking Instructions
Decoding statuses in your TLScontact personal account
Notifications about the readiness of a UK visa
Company services for obtaining an English visa

Services that visa centers can offer you

I always use . In my opinion, this is the most convenient way. There is no need to visit the site several times every day and refresh the page to find out the status. So you calmly go to work, mind your own business, and then you receive an SMS and pick up your visa the next day.

If for some reason you are unable or too lazy to pick up your visa, some visa centers provide a courier delivery service. Convenient, isn't it? You received your visa without leaving your home.

After you have submitted your documents, you can track the readiness of your Finnish visa via the Internet. Thanks to this, there is no need to go to the visa center for information and worry once again. You can monitor the progress of the process in real time directly from home or work.

Current status

There are several ways to find out if a visa is ready. The visa center website has a database where information about the applicant is entered so that everyone can check the readiness of the visa. After you submit your documents and pay the consular fee and center services, you will be given an ICR receipt. Visa readiness is checked using the registration number indicated on the check.

Each applicant is assigned a unique number. So that each applicant can check the readiness of a visa to Finland, the visa center has posted a special form on its website. There you need to enter the personal code specified in the ICR check and your last name or code and date of birth. Any of the above options will give you identical information.

Like many other representative offices, the Finnish one offers to connect an SMS service that will inform you when to pick up your documents. Connecting to SMS notifications is paid, but it is not necessary. In addition to online verification and SMS messages, you can find out about the readiness of foreigners by calling the center’s employees.

IMPORTANT! You can apply for a visa no earlier than three months before the start of your trip. The minimum period within which it can be processed in the usual manner is 2 weeks. After submitting the documents, you can expect to receive a stamp abroad in 5-7 working days.

After the documents arrive at the Consulate, the status will appear on the website: “Application received by the Consulate General of Finland date/month/year.”

When your passport is ready, you will see the following message: “The decision on your application has been made date/month/year, your passport will soon be sent to the Finland Visa Application Center. Please monitor your application status for changes. If you are unable to receive your passport in person, you can order a Courier service for passport delivery after submission.”

How to find out your Schengen number - information here.

How can you check the status of a document?

When accepting documents for obtaining a Schengen visa, visa center managers inform you of the approximate time the permit will be ready and options for clarifying information on this issue. How to find out whether a visa was granted or not? Typically, any visa center has several types of information services. Checking a Schengen visa is a simple process that can be done in the following ways.

Call the visa center numbers. When accepting documents, its employees are required to inform the applicant of their work contacts and their working hours. If this does not happen, you should request the necessary data yourself. When talking with the visa center manager, you should be prepared to provide your passport details or identification number, which will allow you to track the status of the document in the database.
Visit the visa center in person.

These methods are classic, but not entirely convenient.

Receiving ready documents

You can receive a completed foreign passport on any working day, from 8:00 to 16:00. There is no need to pre-register. Have a civil passport and payment receipt with you. If you signed up to receive the whole family, then one family member can pick up the finished passports. You must have documents with you confirming your relationship with the other applicants.

See also: How to get multiple entry into the EU - Schengen multiple entry visa

Parents receive visas for minor children. If you do not pick up your foreign passports, after a while they will be sent to the archive and you will have to receive them there. If you live in another city or are not able to come yourself, you can order a courier delivery service. It is better to do this immediately, on the day of submission.

Obtaining a Finnish Schengen visa is considered one of the simplest. For the first time, it will most likely be issued based on the timing of the trip. Those who already have Finnish stamps in their “history” can count on multiple “cartoons”. Moreover, thanks to the information service, this has become much easier and more convenient.

All this can be done on the official website of the Poland Visa Application Center. And now I will tell you how to do this. You can check in two ways:

1 - visit the vfsglobal visa center website. com/Poland/Ukraine/.

2 - you can call the hotline on these numbers +38 044 5955151 / +38 /+38 032 2362605 / +38 050 4193010 /+ 38 067 3430480 / +38 093 1755503.

Prepare in advance your date of birth and the receipt that you were given when submitting your documents to the visa center. If you check through the call center, just call and they will advise you. If you want to check it through the website, follow the instructions in the video.

After you have visited the official website, click to check the status of documents. In the window that opens, click the only link. Next, select your language. Then fill in the fields: Registration number and Date of birth, then enter the captcha and click confirm.

REFERENCE! The registration number is taken from the receipt given at the visa center; be sure to enter the data using an oblique line and without spaces.

The date of birth must also be entered without spaces and separated by an oblique line. Then, if you have done everything as stated in the video, information regarding your visa will be indicated below. It may be written that the documents have been accepted for consideration, which means that they are not ready yet. (review of documents at the consulate can take from 7 to 30 working days, not counting the day of submission and weekends) But generally the result comes from 7 to 10 days.

If it is indicated that the documents are ready for issue, this means that you can go to the visa center and pick up your passport. If you ordered a courier delivery service, it will be indicated that the documents were transferred to the courier, in which case you need to wait for a call from the courier. If the result indicates the date of acceptance of the documents, this means that the documents are still under consideration and are not ready for issue.

What does consideration depend on?

Before exploring ways to determine the readiness of a document, it should be taken into account that the process of reviewing documents submitted by the applicant can continue indefinitely.

The duration of the review depends on a number of factors that can either speed up the preparation of the required document or significantly slow it down. It is advisable to include among them:

The number of applications requiring appropriate consideration and execution at the moment.
Travel date.
The thoroughness of checks regarding the applicant by the embassy of a particular state.

Perhaps the most inappropriate time for completing documents is the summer and winter holidays and other long holidays. After all, at this time there is the most intense flow of people wishing to obtain a certificate for a vacation trip.

EU countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic or Germany, do not limit the processing time in any way. Finnish migration policy provides for the possibility of expediting visas for short stays. Germany typically reviews documents within one to two weeks.

Useful tips

How do I know if my visa is ready? You can simply visit the visa center where you are supposed to receive a visa to study information about the documents being processed and the dates of their issuance. Typically these are posted on the center's notice board or door and are sorted alphabetically.

Finding out about the readiness of a visa seems to be an extremely easy task if you know exactly how to find out about the status of document consideration. It is important to take into account that if a traveler applies for a visa not on his own, but through an intermediary, then he can also receive the necessary information.

Decoding statuses in your TLScontact personal account

By following the link to the “Track” section of your personal account, you can track the status of your British visa. To do this, carefully read the list of design stages in the center of the page and pay attention to the color of the icon located opposite each one. When checking the readiness of the visa, you will be interested in the penultimate line with the status “Application received by VAC”, indicating whether you can pick up your passport. If, after checking the status of your UK visa, you see that the penultimate line and the icon opposite have turned green, then you can safely go to the TLS British Visa Center to get your foreign passport.

Name	Status value
Biometric Enrollment Done	You have submitted your documents to the UK Visa Application Centre. You arrived at the TLScontact British Visa Center on the appointed day and time and successfully submitted your documents and fingerprints. At this stage, your documents are still at the Visa Application Center.
Application Transferred To DMC	The documents were sent by the UK Visa Application Center to the UK Border Force in Moscow. Usually documents are delivered to Moscow within 1-2 business days. In 2021, delivery is carried out by the DHL courier service.
Application Received By DMC	The documents have been received by the Border Service and are being reviewed. The vast majority of applications are processed within 10-15 business days (times depend on the time of year). Urgent visas are processed within 3-5 working days.
Application Transferred To VAC	Your UK visa decision has been made. You will only find out exactly what verdict the visa officer made when you receive the envelope with your passport at the VC. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing the decision made until you open the envelope.
Application Received By VAC	The documents are located at the British Visa Application Center (where you have already been) and are ready to be handed over to you. A passport with a visa can be obtained on any working day from 09:00 to 16:00. No pre-registration is required to receive a passport with a ready-made visa.
Passport Picked By Applicant	You have received your passport with visa. That is, you have already visited the British Visa Application Center again, and your passport has been returned to you with a completed visa. You can now travel to the UK with peace of mind. We recommend that you study the rules for entry into the UK.

IMPORTANT When receiving a passport with a visa, check all text entries! Often in British visas there are errors in the last name and first name, passport number, and visa validity period. We recommend that you carefully study the section of our website “Error in a UK visa” in order to understand what to do if you discover any inaccuracies in your visa.

To Finland

Applying for a Finnish visa is becoming easier literally every day, and now you can find out without leaving your home whether your passport with the coveted stamp is ready for issue. First of all, the consulate or visa center staff should help you. Having accepted the documents, they always indicate the expected date for the visa to be ready.

The duration of consideration of an application depends on the activity of the tourist season, is on average two weeks and increases closer to the New Year, when the flow of applicants is most intense. Trying to check the readiness of a Schengen visa to Finland before this date makes little sense, because the Finns would rather delay the issuance than issue an entry permit earlier.

Your visa may be delayed for various reasons:

in connection with public holidays and weekends;
due to the height of the tourist season;
in case of force majeure.

Moreover, “force majeure” is a very vague term, which is convenient to refer to in case of any problems. Take this into account when planning your trip and better submit documents in advance. The rules allow you to do this 90 days before the trip.

If the deadline is already approaching, you can definitely find out about the readiness of your visa via the Internet or by phone. This information is open and free, but protected by an individual code, so it can only be obtained by the applicant personally or by someone who has an ICR check issued in exchange for a package of documents for a visa.

Through the Internet

Pages for tracking the readiness of your Finnish visa online are available on the website of any visa application center through which you submitted your application. This makes life easier for employees who do not have to answer questions from future tourists over the phone.

For example, at this address you can check your Finnish visa on the website of the Moscow visa center: https://visa.finland.eu/Russia/Moscow/track_application.html

There is a similar page for St. Petersburg residents: https://visa.finland.eu/Russia/St_Petersburg/track_application.html

Those who submitted documents in St. Petersburg through a single document center can check whether their passport is ready on the website of this center: https://www.7771000.ru/checkvisa/

In the form, you just need to indicate the receipt number and enter the verification code from the picture.

By phone

Those who have applied directly to the Finnish consular authorities can check the status of their application by telephone.

See also: All about decoding and visa number

In any case, it will not be possible to come to the consulate in person without an appointment, so the phone is the most convenient way to find out the status of a Finnish visa.

Those who submitted documents at the Consulate General of St. Petersburg should call: 8-812-331-76-03, opening hours: 9:00 – 12:00 Moscow time.

For Muscovites, your number: 8-495-787-41-74

Applicants who have used the services of a visa center in St. Petersburg can obtain information about the readiness of their visa by calling: 8-812-309-28-89 and 8-812-424-46-66 on weekdays from 8:00 to 19:00 and until 1800 on Saturdays.

The Moscow CC provides information on visa status by calling the following numbers: 8-499-703-49-71 and 8-499-704-55-92 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visa centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg provide SMS information services. As soon as the visa is ready, you will receive an SMS message on your phone. The cost of the service is less than 100 rubles, and it greatly simplifies life.

US Authorization

You can begin to monitor your US visa status after completing the paperwork, submitting an application for permission to enter the country and successfully passing an interview at the United States Consulate, where the consul collects the applicant’s passport. A document with permission or refusal is received in a few days.

There are several ways to track your passport after your visa has been approved by your consular officer. If a specialized company handled the paperwork, then the status of the US visa should be clarified from the employees of this company. And if the documents were prepared on your own, then you can use other methods to track the status of the visa.

When tracking yourself, you need to know that the visa you receive may have the following statuses:

“Issued” - this status is tracked when the applicant’s passport is stamped and the document is sent to the delivery service by courier. This service will hand over the passport to the applicant.
“Refused” is a status that indicates that obtaining a visa is impossible, that is, the applicant was refused to receive it.
“Ready” is set when the documents have reached the consular center, and the staff will review them soon.
“Administrative Processing” means that the documentation for a specific period of time is still in the consular service. It may already be checked, or perhaps the application is at the stage of registering a permit in the system. This is a long process.

On the website of the consular center

The easiest way is to go to the website of the Consular Center of the United States Department of State. In the first field, you need to select the paragraph NONIMMMIGRANT VISA (non-immigrant visa), then you should accurately indicate the country and city in which the application was submitted. The number of the DS-160 questionnaire is entered in the third line. It must be taken from the confirmation page. Then you need to click the “Submit” button, where information about your visa status will open.

DS-160 questionnaire confirmation page with individual number.

By email

The next way is to send a request by email to the United States visa information service in the Russian Federation. To check the status of a US visa via email, you need to send a letter with the subject of the applicant’s foreign passport number to the address: [email protected] It is very important to indicate the number correctly, without using unnecessary characters or spaces.

Otherwise, the system may provide incorrect information or not respond at all. A response letter containing the status of your passport will come automatically. On the UStravelDocs service website you can check the status of your permit to enter America using your passport number. You can also track the status of your passport via chat or by phone.

Via Pony Express courier service

You can also find out whether you have received permission to visit the country on the Pony Express courier delivery website.

It is possible to track the status here only when, checking the status of the passport on the US Consulate website, it turns out that permission to visit the country has been granted.

To check your status, you must have an eight-digit UID code, which is individual and displayed on the main registration document.

UID from the interview registration page or from the Dropbox Confirmation Letter The result of tracking the invoice by UID number through the Pony Express courier service.

The absence of data may mean the following: either the UID code was entered incorrectly, or the passport has not yet been released from the consular service, or it is on the way to the courier service distribution point.

And only when the passport is at the distribution point and registered in the system, the visa status on this site will change to “in warehouse.” After this, the document is sent to the applicant.

About passport and delivery

The courier service employees deliver the passport to the address that the person indicated when registering for the interview. You can choose one of the types of delivery: home, work or office Pony Express. Delivery times depend on location: delivery within the city where the interview took place is on average 2-3 business days, and to remote regions - up to 2 weeks.

If you plan to pick up your passport directly from the courier service office, you can do it yourself or entrust the matter to another person. In the first case, you must provide an official identification document (original). It is advised to have a letter with you inviting you to an interview. In the second case, the applicant’s trustee (regardless of the degree of relationship) must provide:

An official document proving the identity of the authorized person (original).
Official identification document of the applicant (copy).
Power of attorney for obtaining a foreign passport, signed by the applicant: it must necessarily indicate the first and last name (according to the official identification document) of both the authorized person and the applicant.

In case a person is under 18 years old, he must present:

Power of attorney signed by one of the applicant’s parents (original).
A copy of the passport of the parent who signed the power of attorney.
The applicant's original passport.

When the international passport of an applicant under 18 years of age is taken by one of the parents, then in order to confirm the relationship, he must present either his civil passport (original) with the appropriate mark, or the applicant’s birth certificate (original).

If you are applying for a group or family visa, you can present one power of attorney with the necessary information for all applicants.

It is worth remembering that if you do not pick up your passport from the Pony Express office within 2 weeks from the time you get there, it will be returned as unclaimed to the consulate that considered this application. 2 days before the interview, you have the opportunity to change your address on the US visa information service website or by phone.

Read further: what constitutes business, one-time, multiple and electronic.